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How to Write an Online Posting

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For employers, a good vacancy text is just as important as a good letter for applicants. A good text can be found and ensures that only suitable candidates respond to the position. But how do you ensure a strong text? I give you 9 tips for drawing up a good vacancy.

1. Use frequently requested function names

The online job search often starts with the search engine. It is up to you as a writer to come up with a job title that is often searched for. So delve into the terms candidates are looking for. Tip: you can find the most searched terms via the Google KeywordPlanner, for example . Don't forget to check if there is more search for single words or compositions; 'content manager', for example, can produce fewer results than 'content manager'.

2. Select a clear job title

Thousands of vacancies can be found online. Via Google, but also on job sites. Wherever a candidate finds the text: the job title must be clear at a glance. Otherwise you run the risk that the perfect match will not even look at the function. Job seekers do not search via vague cries such as 'starter' or 'talented centipede'. Be specific. Do you write the text for a consultant? In that case, state whether it's a communication adviser, financial adviser or IT adviser. Do you want to attract consultants? Same story.

3. So much to do, so little time

Has anyone found your text in the forest of vacancies? Then it's important to be to the point. Do not assume that job seekers are delving through vacancies at ease. On average, they only need 49.7 seconds to find a text unsuitable. And if they are interested, they form their opinion in just 76.6 seconds. In other words, the same applies everywhere else on the Internet: don't work towards the peak, but start with it, keep it short and ensure that the reader can scan your text (see tip 8).

4. Place the job description at the top

You can organize a vacancy in many different ways . However, the classification is usually recommended where the job description is directly below the job name. Not least because Google shows the first 155 characters in the search results. Job seekers will immediately see what the position entails, instead of company information, for example. Do you paint a clear and appealing picture of the job in this amount of characters? Then the chance is greater that the viewfinder will continue reading.

5. Keep it short and concrete

How do you make a job description clear and appealing? In any case, keep it short and specific. Because remember: it only takes 50 seconds to figure out if a job is fun enough. So not "As a communication advisor you deal with communication", but "As a communication advisor you tell us how we can best address our target group." You can also state the purpose of the position: "This is how you ensure that our target group knows who we are and what we do." Try not to make a long story full of cries like 'challenging' and 'dynamic', but keep it - for example in a line or 6 - at the facts. Tip: don't talk about 'the candidate', but address the reader with 'you'.

6. Don't look for a starter with 5 years of experience

If for the reader the question 'what'm I going to do?' has been answered, he also wants to know what he should be able to do. The following also applies here: do not waste valuable reading time with empty requirements such as 'a flexible attitude', 'no 9-to-5 mentality' and 'you are the spider in the web'. Summarize what a candidate really needs to be able to do. What kind of training must he or she have followed? At what level? How many years of experience should he or she have? In which position? Make a list of 5 to 6 hard requirements for selection. That way you prevent people from thinking 'I don't meet the profile', while they are suitable. And oh yes: use bullets.

7. We have good coffee!

Explain what the company stands for, in what kind of environment someone ends up and what employees like about the company. This way the candidate knows why he has to work for this employer. Does the company have guts? Tell us what that shows. Is creativity important? Show it. With a clear, honest - and of course concise - story you address the right people. For example, Douwe Egberts says: "As a company that focuses exclusively on coffee and tea products, we are proud that we play a role in the lives of millions of people at every moment of every day." Clear story: at Douwe Egberts they are proud of what they do and you immediately read why.

8. Give the reader an overview

It is now clear: vacancies must be short - say half to a maximum of an entire A4 - and powerful. In order to lend a hand to the hasty job seeker, it's useful to make the text easy to scan. Use bullet points where possible (anyway in job requirements), put important information in each paragraph at the front and use clear subheadings. Think of: "As a content marketer your day looks like this" above the job description, "For this job we ask of you ..." above the job requirements or "This is what you get in return" in the employment conditions.

9. Make it SEO

I conclude with a topic that I already touched on at tip 1: a good text is easy to find. On the web you will find countless tips for creating SEO vacancies. Here's a selection to get you started:

  • Call the job title through the text more often. For example, start your paragraph with "As a content manager ..."
  • Put your job title in the subheadings, for example above the job requirements: "Our content manager can ..."
  • Include the job title in the url
  • Use an image and put frequently used keywords in the description
  • State the location where someone is going to work. Job seekers often look for this

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